Aviation is a wider industry than merely Civil and Military. This variety in the types of aviation that exist, allows for a multitude of job opportunities in the industry.
The term civil aviation is generally referred to, in India, as scheduled airlines that are owned by companies. The understanding of Civil aviation among people is beyond the expected.According to the DGCA data of 2018-19, only one-third of the total aircraft registered in India belong to scheduled airlines. The remaining two-thirds of aviation flights are divided into General aviation.
What is General Aviation?
General aviation is the industry that falls under civil aviation but is not operated by any airline or military. It is categorised as non-scheduled flights that are used by VVIPs, companies, logistics, aviation schools, etc.
In India, general aviation is not as popular as in the US or any other country. But with the boost in the aviation industry, this too is expected to receive a push. According to an article by The Times Of India, private jets in India will soon have their first general aviation terminal.
Types of Aviation
Apart from the scheduled Civil airlines and Military airlines, there are different types of general aviation in civil that are also known as non-scheduled flights.
- Chartered Aircrafts
Who amongst us hasn’t witnessed Shah Rukh Khan stepping out of his private chartered planes in countless movies? These are the planes listed under non- scheduled general aviation.
They are handled by charter companies for emergency needs like air ambulance, or also for joy rides and luxury transport. All you have to do is book a flight with any of these companies and hop in to experience the ride. They take the entire responsibility to provide you with good service on these planes!
Chartered Aircraft also includes helicopters, bush planes, and seaplanes as part of chartered plane service. Job opportunities in these aircraft are similar to those in normal airlines.
2) Private or Corporate Aircraft
According to Statista 2017 data, only 1,186 Ultra High Net Worth individuals from all over Asia-Pacific own a private jet. Whereas the number of owners in North America is more than 13,000. This type of aviation is scarce due to the heavy taxation and maintenance needed. Such flights are usually owned by huge corporate companies for professional use, mainly to transport their executives and employees around.
3) Cargo operations
Logistics is an enormous industry that needs the availability of transportation 24/7, worldwide. Some companies have their planes dedicated to this industry. One such company being Fedex that is a major cargo airline in terms of these cargo operations.
Many other small airline companies help these logistics companies transport their parcels globally, as nearly any airplane can be used for these operations.
4) Government aircraft
These flights are operated by government officials. They have their personal aircraft much like charter but are exempted from paying any taxation. Government aircraft are used by CM, government officials, and any other government staff.
The airline that is widely used by these officials is Air India, a flag carrier airline in India. It is managed and owned by a government enterprise Air India Limited.
5) Aviation Flight Training
These flights are used by aviation schools for training purposes. Airplanes used by these aviation schools, like Aviation by Tomorrow, are mainly helicopters, or small engine airplanes. This is for budding pilots to practice and experience flying for longer periods. It is to perfect their takeoff, landing, and understanding to navigate and fly within the airspace system.
6) Aero flights
Aero flights have a number of types of flights under them that are used mainly for the purpose of observation.
Some of them include:
- Law enforcement use helicopters to track criminals, locate missing people, control crowds, and also speeders on open highways.
- Wildlife researchers use this operational flight to count the birds or animals from the air and understand their population and habitual migration patterns.
- Aero sports consist of light activities conducted in the air. This includes hot air balloons, paragliding, etc.
Aerial photography is used to showcase huge accidents or to film any shot from a height. This is majorly used by the film industry or TV channels. With the increase of drone production this industry may soon face a decline.
Conclusion:
These aircraft are used on a smaller scale in India as compared globally, but with the opening of a different airport for General Aviation, the scale seems to reach higher than before. Our advice to all the budding pilots or those seeking a career in aviation is to do a deep research analysis in General aviation as well.
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